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Solyndra

Consumer HardwareUSAClosed 2011

Total Raised

$1.20B

Peak Valuation

Undisclosed

Employees

1,100

Year Collapsed

2011

Business model

Manufacturing cylindrical thin-film solar panels.

In brief

A solar panel manufacturer that received a $535 million loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy, Solyndra built an expensive, highly automated factory for its unique cylindrical panel design. A collapse in silicon prices made conventional flat-panel solar suddenly far che…

See the What Happened tab for the full account.

Key facts

Founded
2005
Closed
2011
Headquarters
Fremont, USA
Industry
Consumer Hardware
Employees
1,100
Revenue
Undisclosed
Founders
Chris Gronet

Related failures

Often compared with: First Solar, SunPower, Canadian Solar.